Butterbur's Woodshed

Following Diane Baker s comments about BW in a recent post, this seems an appropriate time to introduce Butterbur s Woodshed to list members who might not be

Message 1 of 3
, Jan 9, 1999

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Following Diane Baker's comments about BW in a recent post, this seems an
appropriate time to introduce Butterbur's Woodshed to list members who
might not be familiar with it. The Mythopoeic Society sponsors two "apa"
(amateur press association) publications, which work more or less as print
discussion groups. I am the editor of _Butterbur's Woodshed_, which focuses
on general fantasy literature, especially new books which may be eligible
for the Society's annual Mythopoeic Awards. We publish every other month,
six times a year, and have set topics for each issue.

The other Society-sponsored apa is _Once Upon a Time_ which focuses on
children's literature.

Please note that, unlike the other Society publications, these are not
available for subscription only; they require participation to join and to
remain active.

Specific information on either or both of these publications can be found
on the Society web site:

Silante Eleanor, Can you tell me more bout Butterbur s Woodshed? (I know what APAs are like _I was in several years ago.) Would it be possible to see an

Message 2 of 3
, Jan 12, 1999

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Silante Eleanor,

Can you tell me more 'bout Butterbur's Woodshed? (I know what APAs are like
_I was in several years ago.) Would it be possible to see an issue? If so,
my mailing address is 82 Rackleff Street, Portland ME 04103. Thanks!

Cat Eldridge / I cursed him in my heart. "Um, what day is
Folk Tales. / it?" With the infinite patience of someone
An Online Folk Magazine / used to dealing with drunks, musicians, and
WWW.KINROWAN.COM / techies, he replied, "Sunday."

Eleanor Farrell

... Dear Cat, Thanks for your inquiry! _Butterbur s Woodshed_ is what is known as an apa , or a discussion group by mail. We publish every other month, and

Message 3 of 3
, Jan 12, 1999

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>Can you tell me more 'bout Butterbur's Woodshed? (I know what APAs are like
>_I was in several years ago.) Would it be possible to see an issue? If so,
>my mailing address is 82 Rackleff Street, Portland ME 04103. Thanks!

Dear Cat,

Thanks for your inquiry! _Butterbur's Woodshed_ is what is known as an
"apa", or a discussion group by mail. We publish every other month, and
have set topics for each issue. (The upcoming topics are listed on our web
page; they include Vera Chapman's _The Notorious Abbess_, the upcoming list
of Mythopoeic Fantasy Award nominees for 1999, and a general topic issue on
fairy tales.) Each participant writes up something on the topic (and/or
comments on items from previous issues, information on new books or other
items of interest to members, etc.) and sends 24 copies (that's the current
copy count) to me, the editor, who collates and mails the issues. Each
member also sends me some money ($10 is a good amount to start) to put in
their postage account, to pay for postage for issues mailed. Everyone is
asked to contribute to every other issue, or to three issues per year, to
remain an active member.

If you would like to obtain a recent sample issue, send me $2 for postage
and I'll mail one to you. The submissions are not formal book reviews, but
more like an informal discussion of the book or books chosen as the topic.
Sometimes people later work these into essays and put them up on their web
pages, or rework them into reviews which can be published in _Mythprint_,
the Society's monthly newsletter.

We focus on "newer" fantasy literature, in support of the Mythopoeic
Society's annual fantasy award for new fiction. The three books chosen for
topics for November through March are all 1998 publications which will be
eligible for next year's award. This gives us a chance to read some new
books while considering nominating books for the award. Many (but not all)
of the members of BW are also on the awards committee. (Anyone in the
Mythopoeic Society can join the awards committees' and/or nominate books
for the awards. Info on these is included on the web page.)

I hope that has answered some of your questions. Please feel free to
e-mail me with any other specific queries. Thanks for your interest -- I
hope you will be able to join our group!